The Food: Ancient Roman Foods

Ancient Rome Prior to 500BC
No infused drinks like tea or coffee, certainly no chocolate or cocoa (which originally comes from Mexico).  Not a lot of meat, no spirits like cognac or whiskey, there is wine, but it is cut with as much as 5 parts water to 1 part wine.  Remember tomatoes too came from Columbus' discovery of the Americas, so you do not see any tomatoes in cooking just yet either.  You may see some salad, with just a vinegar dressing.

The Romans (500 BC-476 AD)
Raw Materials: barely wheat millet, fish, olives, figs, eggs, goats, sheep, cattle, grapes, cheese, chickens, cabbage, leeks.

The Romans were fond of eggs and probably invented the omelet. But it was not recorded until 1100 France.

Typical Meal: Breakfast was most often bread dipped in wine. Other meals included barely paste bread olives, cheese, olive oil, grapes, water, wine.

Special Sauce: The Romans were fond of a sauce they called liquamen.
Recipe: take several pounds of fish, cover with thick layer  of salt, seal in earthenware jar, let stand in sun for three months The result was a clear fermented liquid which rose to the top where it was skimmed off and strained through cloth. The Romans used it in cooking and as a sauce for dipping bread in or pouring over cooked grains, meals, or beans. Imagine the smell.

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